ArtiCulture, a non-profit arts organization in Minneapolis, is looking for teachers who want to teach jewelry or other crafts. I have been teaching there for over 6 years and it is a great place. If you are interested, check out their website at www.articulture.org and email the director, Liz. Or you can contact me if you have questions.

Another thing that may be of interest is that ArtiCulture has a retail area where they want to sell LOCALLY MADE ART & CRAFTS. If you want to get in on that, check out their website. www.articulture.org. This area of Minneapolis is getting really arty and cool - check it out!!!Valerie

I saw a post asking how the pregnancy is going, so I will post here when she arrives. I am due in 3 weeks. I have made some crafty things for me and baby and hope to be able to do more posting when I am on maternity leave.

I thought I would post a photo of my recently completed skirt from the September 2005 Burda World of Fashion magazine #121. It is pretty simple, only a few pattern pieces, but the waist band is a little tricky to understand. It is a fun style and I get lots of compliments because it is so unique.

This used to be my favorite dress since about 1993. The neckline had gotten pretty much stretched out and was a bit compromising, so I made it into this great skirt with the help of Vogue Adri pattern # 2817It's cool, no?

I wanted to share a photo of the cake I made my mom for her birthday. It is inspired by the book Cakes to Dream on by Colette Peters. Her cakes would be suitable for many different themes. I borrowed the book from my local library.Valerie

I was wondering if anyone is interested in a DEPART-ment style sale for next year. Instead of each craft person staffing their own booth, the venue is set up like a store, with items grouped together. There is a central checkout. Artists volunteer for a shift. Once it gets organized, it could be set up on a regular basis. There is more info at www.depart-ment.comLemme know if you are interested.Valerie/Valoir